Chicco NextFit iX Zip Review

Chicco NextFit iX Zip

We’ve been fans of the Chicco NextFit since it arrived on the market in 2013. Since then, Chicco has added some additional flavors of the seat — first the NextFit Zip, which has a cover that zips off for easy installation access and cleaning, and now, the NextFit iX Zip, which has a few additional features that we’re already pretty fond of!

Those features include:

• Updated lockoffs
• Additional headrest positions to help optimize the fit to child
• Easier to adjust harness
• One-position chest clip

I realize that these changes don’t sound like a lot but our readers think they’re important — and we do, too! Our recent Facebook Live session where the fabulous Joshua Dilits from Chicco explained these features during the 2017 JPMA show had over 31,000 views!

Chicco NextFit iX Zip rear facing lockoff

The lockoffs on the previous version of the NextFit were a bit quirky compared to the lockoff we know and love from the KeyFit and Fit2 rear facing only car seats.  They opened to allow the seat belt to pass through, then they had to be clamped back into place on the side of the car seat away from the seat belt buckle.  While we didn’t find this terribly difficult to use, a lot of caregivers did.  And Chicco listened to their concerns!

Chicco NextFit iX Zip forward facing lockoff

These new lockoffs work like the ones on the KeyFit and Fit2 — the vehicle seat belt slides through on the side opposite of the vehicle belt buckle.  That’s all there is to it.  Add a bit of pressure to the car seat while threading the belt, and a secure install is fairly painless to achieve!  We did find that sometimes the rear facing lockoff got snagged on an edge of the belt path opening but we were able to push the seat belt past the snag and install the seat.

Chicco NextFit iX Zip chest clip

Now, the seat sports an IMMI chest clip with one setting.  This chest clip is a time-honored piece of equipment that’s found on a great number of car seats for one reason — it’s very easy to use!  It’s also more difficult for Littles to open. We’re happy to see this chest clip make an appearance on the new NextFit iX Zip.

Chicco NextFit iX Zip 9 harness heights

The NextFit iX Zip adds an additional three headrest positions to the no-rethread harness.  The older version of the seat had six headrest positions.  While six sounds like a reasonable number, there was roughly an inch of space between them.  This space made it awkward to get children properly harnessed when they had grown but were between harness positions.

With nine headrest positions, the NextFit iX Zip offers more flexibility in fit to child.  The smaller space between positions means that the harness can always fit the child properly — harness at or below the shoulders for rear facing, harness at or above the shoulders for forward facing.

Chicco NextFit iX Zip lower anchor storage

Like everything on the NextFit iX Zip, there’s a tidy storage compartment for the lower anchor connectors.

Chicco NextFit iX Zip lower anchor storage

These are on both sides of the seat; they open like a drawer and the premium lower anchor connectors store neatly inside.

To move the lower anchors between rear and forward facing modes, slide them along these compartments.

Chicco NextFit iX Zip top tether storage

Unlike almost every other car seat around, the NextFit iX Zip has a clearly labelled, easy-to-use top tether storage compartment.

Chicco NextFit iX Zip top tether storage compartment

Most other car seats have a handy place to clip the tether but Chicco offers an even more elegant solution. This attention to detail brings a lot of value to the seat.

Chicco NextFit iX Zip pull 1st lower anchor

The NextFit iX Zip sports a unique lower anchor tightening mechanism called SuperCinch.  This system makes for a fairly easy lower anchor installation. This is the same mechanism used on the previous model — it remains pretty awesome!

NextFit iX Zip SuperCinch

The SuperCinch lower anchor system is a bit different from the setup we typically see on other car seats.  The Pull 1 side of the mechanism has a traditional adjuster but the Pull 2 side features the SuperCinch.  This thin strip of webbing attaches to the wider, more typical part of the webbing, has a small orange button to release it, and, as the name suggests, cinches the car seat into place.  Unlike a more conventional lower anchor connector, the SuperCinch webbing will secure itself when pulled in almost any direction.

Chicco NextFit iX Zip pull 2nd lower anchor

In rear facing mode, I found that unzipping the cover to access the belt path made for a fairly painless install.

Installing the NextFit iX Zip on the very deep vehicle seats of my 2016 VW GTI worked best when I did this:

1. Unzip the cover all of the way to expose the belt path from the inside of the seat.
2. Connect the lower anchors on both sides of the seat.
3. Tighten the lower anchor on the side labelled Pull 1st.
   Here’s the trick: stand on the Pull 2nd side of the seat, then reach down into the belt path on the Pull 1st side, grab the Pull 1st loop, then pull it straight up through the inside of the seat.
4. Finally, zip the cover back up, then tighten the Pull 2nd strap on the other side of the seat. This 2nd strap tightens by pulling the strap in any direction.

Recline Angle Indicator

Chicco NextFit iX Zip recline indicator

The NextFit iX Zip has a rear and forward facing angle indicator.  Most convertible and multimode car seats only have a rear facing angle indicator but Chicco offers caregivers an additional way to confirm that their child’s car seat is installed correctly with the forward facing indicator.  The bubble is clearly marked.

Chicco NextFit rear facing

Installing the NextFit iX Zip with the updated lockoffs was also fairly painless.  Set the NextFit iX Zip rear facing on the vehicle seat, then thread the vehicle seat belt through the rear facing belt path.  Buckle the seat belt, then remove slack from the lap portion of the vehicle seat belt.  With one hand, apply pressure to the portion of the NextFit iX Zip’s seat pan where the child’s bottom would go to remove slack from the vehicle seat belt.  With the other hand, on the outside of the car seat’s shell on the side away from the buckle, pull the vehicle seat belt away from the buckle to remove all of the slack.  Finally, slide the vehicle seat belt through the lockoff and let go of the seat belt.  This should result in a snug installation.

Chicco NextFit iX Zip padding gap?

When my kiddos rode in harnessed seats, one of our biggest challenges was the padding behind the child. When the child was tall enough to have the harness at the highest settings, some car seats had a padding gap behind the child’s back.

Chicco NextFit iX Zip padding gap has disappeared!

As I was installing the NextFit iX Zip, I noticed a sizeable gap at the top range of the harness height and started to cringe. Investigating further, I reached behind the padding and discovered an extra flap of padding just waiting to be extended.

Once again, I’ve fulfilled my dream of being a hand model.

With the flap fully extended, the padding gap is eliminated. Like the original NextFit, which also has this feature, kiddos of all sizes can fit comfortably in this seat!

Chicco NextFit rear facing

My biggest struggle with the NextFit iX Zip is the high sides, especially for larger rear facing kiddos. Though all car seats pass the same federal safety standards, features that are outside of the standard can add to a seat’s overall ease of use or overall safety. The high sides on this seat may add a level of protection but they can also make loading and unloading a larger child a bit of a challenge. They can also reduce the airflow to the child, especially when the child is rear facing.

Many families use this seat for many years without issues regarding the sides but we’ve seen enough families who have struggled with the shape of the seat that it seems pertinent to mention it here.

Chicco NextFit iX newborn fit

Our doll is a Huggable Images newborn.  She weighs 7 pounds and is 19 inches tall.  With the padding in, the NextFit iX Zip fit the doll very well.

Her face is pointing downward just a bit.  This isn’t terribly surprising because she has a very rounded head and the headrest is in front of the seat’s shell.  Families who are planning to use the NextFit with a newborn may want to keep this potential for a bit of head slump in mind.

Chicco NextFit iX newborn doll without padding

Without the padding, the harness fit on our doll isn’t nearly as fabulous as the fit with the padding in. On the lowest setting, the harness is well above our doll’s shoulders.  So we’d be hard pressed to suggest this seat for newborns without the padding in use.

Chicco NextFit iX Zip 18 months old

This young model is 18 months old.  He weighs 28 pounds, and is 29 inches tall.  He’s got plenty of room to grow in the NextFit iX Zip and the harness fit him well.

3 Years Old (but almost 4!)

Chicco NextFit iX Zip 3 years old rear facing

This model is 3 years old, just weeks away from his 4th birthday.  He weighs 38 pounds and is 39 inches tall.  Normally, he rides rear facing in a Diono Radian, which has some pretty low sides. We were curious about how he’d feel when riding in a seat with significantly deeper sides than his regular seat, but he had no issues!  Loading a bigger rear facing kiddo like this little guy can be a bit of a challenge thanks to the deep sides.

The generous padding on the harness straps and crotch buckle added comfort for all his parts and reduced any chafing at the neck. He felt this seat was comfy and found ways to position his legs with no trouble.

Chicco NextFit iX Zip forward facing belt path

Installing the NextFit iX Zip forward facing was as painless as installing it rear facing.  Set the NextFit iX Zip forward facing on the vehicle seat, then thread the vehicle seat belt through the forward facing belt path.  The cover unsnaps to provide access to the belt path.

Chicco NextFit iX Zip forward facing with lockoff

Buckle the seat belt, then remove slack from the lap portion of the vehicle seat belt. With one hand, apply pressure to the portion of the NextFit iX Zip’s seat pan where the child’s bottom would go to remove slack from the vehicle seat belt.  With the other hand, on the outside of the car seat’s shell on the side away from the buckle, pull the vehicle seat belt away from the buckle to remove all of the slack.  Finally, slide the vehicle seat belt through the lockoff and let go of the seat belt. This should result in a snug installation.

Chicco NextFit iX Zip moving lower anchors side 1

The lower anchors slide between the rear facing and forward facing positions in a very convenient way — they slide on the outside of the seat’s shell!

Chicco NextFit iX Zip moving lower anchors side 2

The only challenging part of this move was making sure I had enough slack in the webbing to reach both sides of the seat — if the Pull 1st side of the webbing wasn’t all the way extended, the webbing was a little too short to slide between positions.

Chicco NextFit iX Zip forward facing, lower anchors

Once I moved the lower anchors to the forward facing position, I was able to install the NextFit iX Zip with almost no struggle and no sweat on a 90 degree day.  I am not making this up!

The only issue I found was likely unique to my car, which has exposed lower anchors with a plastic piece around them. This configuration makes access to the anchors quite easy but when it came to installing the NextFit iX Zip, it meant the lower anchor connectors sat straight up and the push buttons on the lower anchor connectors got sort of trapped by the webbing.  I had to loosen the Pull 1st side, then reach around the webbing to access and release the button.

Chicco NextFit iX Zip 3 years old forward facing

This model is almost 4 years old.  He weighs 38 pounds and is 37 inches tall.  Normally, he rides rear facing so trying out the NextFit iX Zip in forward facing mode introduced him and his parents to the world of backseat driving.  The seat fit him well and he’s got plenty of room to grow.

6 Years Old

Chicco NextFit iX 6 years old

This model is 6 years old.  He weighs 44 pounds and is 44 inches tall.  He says it’s comfortable and he likes the pads on the straps.  He finds the seat a bit hard to climb into. The harness is SO smooth.

Important Information: Where to Find

Chicco NextFit iX Zip FAA label

FAA Approval: the NextFit iX Zip is approved for use on aircraft.  The label is found on the outside of the seat’s shell, behind where the child’s left shoulder would be.  At 26.2 pounds, the NextFit iX Zip is a bit heavy for airplane travel but it is approved.

Chicco NextFit iX Zip manual storage

Manual storage: there’s a cute little cubby for manual storage on the back of the seat’s base.

Chicco NextFit iX Zip date of manufacture

Date of manufacture: the NextFit iX Zip has an 8 year expiration.  The expiration date and manufacture dates are printed on a label that’s kind of lonely on the bottom of the seat’s base.